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About Song of a Nation

The greatest story never told, this formidable and gorgeously written biography documents the amazing and controversial short life of Calixa Lavallée–the composer of “O Canada”–and the tumult of 19th-century North America.

He was a composer, a performer, an entrepreneur, and an educator; played pop and classical music; and appeared in his quasi-colonial society, tragically, just ahead of his time. Calixa Lavallee, the French Canadian composer of “O Canada,” has a compelling, almost unbelievable personal story. He left home at 12 and worked as a blackface minstrel, travelling throughout the United States for more than a decade; he fought and was injured in the American Civil War in perhaps the most important battle of that war, at Antietam Creek; performed for President Lincoln several times; produced the first opera in Quebec and wrote two of his own; became a leading figure in American music education, representing American music in London; journeyed to Paris to study for two years; tried and failed to create a Quebec national conservatory. And he wrote our national anthem. But Lavallée also represents all the contradictions and confusions of Canadian identity as our country came together in the last half of the nineteenth century. To understand “O Canada,” and to understand the man who wrote it, is to return to the Canada of the mid-nineteenth century, a Canada just forming as a nation, bringing together ancient racial hatreds and novel political possibilities, as culture faced culture, religion faced religion, economy faced economy. Calixa Lavallée is the most famous Canadian you have never heard of, living a life and ultimately composing a song that stands the test of time.

About Song of a Nation

The greatest story never told, this formidable and gorgeously written biography documents the amazing and controversial short life of Calixa Lavallée–the composer of “O Canada”–and the tumult of 19th-century North America.

The story of “O Canada” is one of the great unknowns of our collective lives. No longer. This formidable and gorgeously written tale documents the history of this song of a nation, from its origins in French Canada in the years just after Confederation to the surprisingly controversial story of its adoption as Canada’s national anthem a hundred years later. Song of a Nation is also the extraordinary and mysterious story of Calixa Lavallée–the anthem’s French-Canadian composer–and his compelling, almost unbelievable personal journey: his early life as a blackface minstrel, travelling throughout the United States for more than a decade; his service for the Union Army in the American Civil War; his production of the first opera in Quebec; and, in a final act, becoming a leading figure in American music education. To understand “O Canada,” and to understand the man who wrote it, is to return to the Canada of the mid-1800s, just forming as a nation, bringing together ancient racial hatreds and novel political possibilities. More than just a song, in its own story “O Canada” evokes the history of a country creating an identity for itself out of the unique forces and rivalries of French and English Canada, and looking to the infinite possibilities that lay ahead.

About Song of a Nation

The greatest story never told, this formidable and gorgeously written biography documents the amazing and controversial short life of Calixa Lavallée–the composer of “O Canada”–and the tumult of 19th-century North America.

The story of “O Canada” is one of the great unknowns of our collective lives. No longer. This formidable and gorgeously written tale documents the history of this song of a nation, from its origins in French Canada in the years just after Confederation to the surprisingly controversial story of its adoption as Canada’s national anthem a hundred years later. Song of a Nation is also the extraordinary and mysterious story of Calixa Lavallée–the anthem’s French-Canadian composer–and his compelling, almost unbelievable personal journey: his early life as a blackface minstrel, travelling throughout the United States for more than a decade; his service for the Union Army in the American Civil War; his production of the first opera in Quebec; and, in a final act, becoming a leading figure in American music education. To understand “O Canada,” and to understand the man who wrote it, is to return to the Canada of the mid-1800s, just forming as a nation, bringing together ancient racial hatreds and novel political possibilities. More than just a song, in its own story “O Canada” evokes the history of a country creating an identity for itself out of the unique forces and rivalries of French and English Canada, and looking to the infinite possibilities that lay ahead.

About Song of a Nation

The greatest story never told, this formidable and gorgeously written biography documents the amazing and controversial short life of Calixa Lavallée–the composer of “O Canada”–and the tumult of 19th-century North America.

The story of “O Canada” is one of the great unknowns of our collective lives. No longer. This formidable and gorgeously written tale documents the history of this song of a nation, from its origins in French Canada in the years just after Confederation to the surprisingly controversial story of its adoption as Canada’s national anthem a hundred years later. Song of a Nation is also the extraordinary and mysterious story of Calixa Lavallée–the anthem’s French-Canadian composer–and his compelling, almost unbelievable personal journey: his early life as a blackface minstrel, travelling throughout the United States for more than a decade; his service for the Union Army in the American Civil War; his production of the first opera in Quebec; and, in a final act, becoming a leading figure in American music education. To understand “O Canada,” and to understand the man who wrote it, is to return to the Canada of the mid-1800s, just forming as a nation, bringing together ancient racial hatreds and novel political possibilities. More than just a song, in its own story “O Canada” evokes the history of a country creating an identity for itself out of the unique forces and rivalries of French and English Canada, and looking to the infinite possibilities that lay ahead.

About Robert Harris

ROBERT HARRIS is a long-time music journalist, writer, teacher, and broadcaster. From 2000-2008, he was the host and producer of I Hear Music, a weekly show presented on CBC Radio 2. He is the author of two books, What to… More about Robert Harris

About Robert Harris

ROBERT HARRIS is a long-time music journalist, writer, teacher, and broadcaster. From 2000-2008, he was the host and producer of I Hear Music, a weekly show presented on CBC Radio 2. He is the author of two books, What to… More about Robert Harris

About Robert Harris

ROBERT HARRIS is a long-time music journalist, writer, teacher, and broadcaster. From 2000-2008, he was the host and producer of I Hear Music, a weekly show presented on CBC Radio 2. He is the author of two books, What to… More about Robert Harris

About Robert Harris

ROBERT HARRIS is a long-time music journalist, writer, teacher, and broadcaster. From 2000-2008, he was the host and producer of I Hear Music, a weekly show presented on CBC Radio 2. He is the author of two books, What to… More about Robert Harris